Plumber's putty is used in the plumbing and construction industry to seal fixtures in either the bath or kitchen areas, such as the sink or tub strainer, faucets and setting sinks. Plumber's putty is typically known for being adhesive, remaining pliable and plastic, and being resistant to water. Typical plumber's putty consists of mineral fillers, such as calcium carbonate and clays, as well as oils and solvents. Fish oil has been the standard oil used in this application, because of its viscosity, tack and low cost. The putty composition based on fish oil is such that the putty is easily manipulated by hand and can be rolled into any form consistent with the sealing job at hand. The putty composition also has the characteristics that once in place it will not dry out or crack, will retain its adhesive properties, and will maintain a stable consistency and its ability to fill gaps during installation. However, fish oil has created difficulty for plumber's due to its tendency to form annular stain rings across the surfaces of porous stone, such as marble or granite. The oils in the putty are drawn into porous stone, such as marble or granite, leaving a permanent stain or shadow on the stone. The shadow often appears within hours of installation and cannot be removed by cleaning.
A variety of plumber's putty is often labeled as stainless putty, but is mistakenly characterized as so, since numerous tests on soft, porous stone reveal the immediate presence of a stain or shadow. Even plumber's putty sold as “stainless putty” often has warnings on the directions not to use with porous stone such as marble or granite. Using regular plumber's putty on porous stone results in considerable damage to the appearance of the stone and is not repairable by any cleansing process.
A variety of techniques have been attempted to circumvent this problem. For example, the area in contact with the plumber's putty can be coated with a clear acrylic coating. However, over time, the oils from the putty may work their way towards uncovered stone. Silicone caulk has also been used, but has the drawback of lacking the cohesiveness of plumber's putty and is difficult to apply.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,434,812 (the '812 patent), incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes a stainless putty based on the use of silicone rubber. This stainless putty has an improved stable white color, which is due to the replacement of traditional fish oils by polymeric plasticizers. However, it does not respond well in cold weather in comparison to oil-based putty. In addition, it is too expensive for use in both general and stain risk environments. Accordingly, its use is restricted to porous stone application due to cost and is not generally used in the more typical job.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an affordable stainless putty that may be used over a broad range of applications.